Chapter 367.1: Invitation From Shelter 101's Administrator

"Just... that's it?" Hedin stared blankly at the production equipment in front of him, his face a picture of confusion and bewilderment.

Flour was fed into the mixer in set proportions, going through a series of processes like aging, rolling, cutting into strips, steaming, cutting again, and deep-frying, eventually forming golden-brown cakes.

What surprised him was not the efficiency of the production line or the magic of the manufacturing process, but rather the opposite...

Is that all?

"These noodles, the shelter residents rarely buy them, we usually sell them to the mercenaries in Boulder Town, and the caravans there. Especially the caravans, they usually buy in large quantities, purchasing 20 boxes at a time. They not only eat them on the road but also trade the leftovers with local merchants."

Standing next to Hedin, Wang Yan introduced his factory while observing the expressions on his companion's face.

He was the factory manager of an instant noodle factory.

Showing the merchant from Ideal City around the New Alliance's instant noodle factory was a task personally assigned to him by the administrator.

As one of the star enterprises alongside Nuka Cola, the shelter-owned factory generated a significant amount of money for the New Alliance.

Wang Yan didn't understand why the administrator wanted to show off the technology for making instant noodles to others, but that was not for him to worry about.

What he couldn't understand was why a merchant from the legendary paradise-like Ideal City would be interested in their factory.

Weren’t they supposed to be aloof and contented with what they have?

It was really baffling.

After standing stunned for a long time, Hedin finally came back to his senses, quickly turning his gaze to Wang Yan beside him.

"Is it just frying the flour? You don't add anything else?"

Wang Yan paused, nodded, then shook his head. "No, no, this is all we do. We add other things... Do salt and water count?"

Hedin stared at him blankly.

He had thought that the miraculous noodle was produced through some complex process, even considering it might involve some black box technology, only to find the production process and materials used were so simple.

But after thinking about it, it seemed indeed unnecessary to add anything else.

After dehydrating carbohydrates by frying them in oil and adding salt, the high osmotic pressure of the heavy salt content made it nearly impossible for microbes to survive. After sealing it with plastic to isolate the oxygen and moisture in the air... It was easy for them to prevent the food from spoiling.

What actually baffled Hedin was why no one thought about it even though the principle was so straightforward.

It took a long time for him to look away from the factory manager and back at the production line in front of him. "How long can these noodles be stored?"

Wang Yan immediately replied, "If they're wrapped in plastic, they can be stored for 6 months without any problems! They can be eaten even 6 six months, but the taste won't be as good."

Actually... He didn’t even know if they could be stored for 6 months. After all, they had only started producing instant noodles 2 months ago.

They really started selling out only after the Northern Expedition ended, and the 6 months shelf life was something the administrator himself had mentioned.

But Hedin didn't question it.

6 months...

Hedin silently calculated in his mind.

Most merchants wouldn’t travel for more than half a year. After all, a long travel time was a costly venture.

A 6 month shelf life was entirely adequate!

After all, those aren't intended as food reserves but as a cheap, easy-to-carry, and easy-to-cook pre-prepared food source.

It didn’t even have to be healthy.

As long as it could maintain the morale of caravans and expedition teams, plenty of caravans and mercenary groups would be willing to pay for it.

It was much tastier than those freeze-dried vegetables!

In fact... He could combine the two, packaging the instant noodle noodle with freeze-dried vegetables.

Thinking about it, Hedin looked at the golden noodles waiting to be plastic-wrapped, his eyes burning with eagerness.

Every packet produced was basically a new stack of cash!

Hedin couldn't wait any longer. He was eager to return and start his grand business plan!

As Hedin fantasized about how to make a fortune with these noodles in the Among Cloud Province, Chu Guang was sitting on a train headed for West Continent City.

The night before, a phone call from Xia Yan told him that the manager of Shelter 101 was willing to hand over the VM, but wanted to meet him in exchange.

This request was not unreasonable, and Chu Guang didn't think the other party had any reason to harm him. Moreover, it was he who had made the bold request first.

For the sake of those 3,500 beta test slots, he had to make the trip personally.

The dense forest whizzed by the window, passing a wilderness pockmarked with craters, and when the road sign for Bluestone County jumped into view, the scenery outside the window suddenly cleared.

Copper ore piled up into small mountains, and people bustled in front of the station.

There were merchants from Dawn City inspecting the market and purchasing ore, and players with VMs and rifles heading into the forest.

Watching the busy station, Chu Guang looked slightly mesmerized.

2 months ago, he had stood on a broken bridge nearby, and he could still faintly hear the echoes of propellers vibrating and cannon fire.

Now, the place had become a well-known copper ore production base. Daybreak City had also benefited, becoming the largest copper and molybdenum ore trading center in the southern part of River Valley Province.

They had built a railway, and they planned to build another power grid.

Connecting the power systems of Dawn City and Daybreak City, once the controllable fusion reactor was ignited, a greater miracle would be born on the wasteland!

"The changes here are quite significant." Sitting opposite Chu Guang, Jiu Li said respectfully.

"After all, you came here." Chu Guang smiled and corrected him.

"It's not me who came."

“We did this together.”

Time didn’t just change things. It also changed people.

A year ago, the burly man was not called Jiu Li. He simply went by the name ‘Li’.

To avoid the disaster of the Bonechewer Clan, he led his people to the northern suburbs of Clearspring City.

At that time, half-jokingly and half out of real survival needs, the shelter had to unite all the wastelanders it could. Chu Guang gave him a more domineering name and made him the manager of the refugee camp, responsible for settling the refugees who fled to the New Alliance from other places.

Jiu Li did not disappoint Chu Guang's expectations. Along with the then head of Longevity Town, Luca, he managed the refugee camp well with limited resources, balancing the conflicts between different tribes well.

Although minor frictions occasionally occurred, there had never been any major problems.

After more than half a year of experience, he no longer had the initial belligerence. It was replaced by a steadfast aura.

That was one of the aspects Chu Guang appreciated most about him.

The survivors of Daybreak City needed a leader who could empathize with the hardships of the refugees and also had rich pioneering experience. He needed to consider the overall interests of the New Alliance but could not ignore the demands of the local survivors, as unity was the foundation on which the New Alliance was built.

The original management of Hope Town was obviously not suitable. Whether it was Wu Chengyi, who had been the mayor, or Yang Duo, who was responsible for the warehouse, they were more suited for specific tasks.

As for Ma Ban, who was parachuted into West Continent City, his appointment was because of an emergency as he needed to be a liaise for them to communicate with Hope Town.

When it came to giving overall instructions, he still lacked experience.

And he had explicitly stated in his work report that he felt overwhelmed, facing nearly 30,000 survivors in need of settlement.

Chu Guang planned to transfer him back to Daybreak City, replacing Jiu Li as the head of the refugee camp. He would be a part of the talent reserve ready to take over after the third survivor settlement was established.

Looking at Jiu Li sitting across from him, Chu Guang spoke seriously, "You need to solidify our relationship with the local survivors. I have only one requirement for you, to be fair and just."

"You will enforce the New Alliance’s laws.”

Jiu Li's expression was solemn as he nodded. "Yes, sir!"

The train arrived at the station.

Unlike Dawn City, the station at Daybreak City had only a wooden sign as a station sign.

Besides the material piles for storing goods, the surroundings were filled with rain-mashed mud and not fully demolished concrete debris.

Further north, one could still see the trenches dug by players before. They had become drainage tunnels as the formation of the new settlement.

Everything looked to be in a sorry state, but what was commendable was that on the east side of the trench, the outline of the settlement could be seen. Having completed the construction of the drainage system, survivors began pouring concrete into the foundation, preparing to build the streets and shelters of Daybreak City.

Considering the limited resources, the residences in Daybreak City would mainly consist of medium-density 5 story apartment buildings, supplemented by standalone cottages.

Besides, there was also some land open for players to buy. Once they bought the land, they could freely decide what buildings they wished to build.

As long as it wasn't too offensive that affected other players' gaming experience, the planning committee would not interfere too much.

"Respected administrator, Daybreak City welcomes your arrival!" Standing next to the station sign, Ma Ban said respectfully.

Standing next to him were Wu Chengyi, Yang Duo, and others from the original West Continent City resistance organization and the leadership team of Hope Town.

Of course, they had joined and pledged allegiance to the New Alliance. They were serving as officials of Daybreak City in civil affairs, warehouse management, and other departments.